Forbidden
by xhappily-randomx
Summary: Amu just can't help feeling the way she does. Even though she know's it's wrong. Even though he's her sister's boyfriend. Even though he's four years older than her. So what's a sixteen-year-old girl to do? AMUTO. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this was a story that I actually wrote quite a while ago and then forgot about... I was going through all the random stuff on my computer and found it. Lol. And then I had to read it all over because I'd forgotten what I'd written. Heh. So, anyways, hope you guys enjoy it! There's only two parts though. This one, and one more (which will be posted very soon as It's almost done).**

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"Mama, I _really_ don't need a babysitter, I'll be fine being home alone for a little while," Amu protested.

"It's not just a little while, we'll be at least _an hour_! I worry about you being alone for so long," Midori (aka, Amu's mother) said.

"An hour isn't that long. And I'm sixteen! I can even cook for myself if I get hungry," Amu tried.

Her three older sisters had taught her a lot of useful skills. Amu thought it was funny how the three of them were twins, but had turned out so different. Suu was the one who was too kind for her own good. She had taught Amu to cook and clean. Miki – the cool tomboy with a bit of shyness beneath the surface – had taught her to draw (though Amu isn't nearly as good at it as Miki) and always gave her good advice. Ran was the cheerful, peppy (and in Amu's opinion hyper) athlete. Ran gave Amu a love for sports, and instructed her in them. Amu had one other sister, Ami, but she was only ten years old. Although, she had kind of taught Amu how to be a big sister and take care of someone.

"I don't know how I feel about you trying to use the stove or knives while you're by yourself," Midori deliberated.

Amu sighed. Her parents were way too overprotective. She was _sixteen_ for goodness sake, and had never been allowed to stay home by herself _once_. Plus, her dad was like scared of boys or something. Whenever anyone mentioned a boy, he'd yell about how his little "sparrows" were growing up too fast and leaving the nest, and then he'd go lock himself in the bathroom.

Today all her sisters were going out of the house along with her parents. Ran was going to buy a birthday present for her boyfriend; Miki was going out on a date; Suu wanted to shop at a specialty market in the next town over; and Ami and her parents were going to the amusement park.

"Please mama; you've never given me a chance to prove that I could stay home alone before. Let me stay home alone this one time, and if it doesn't work out then I'll never complain about not being able to stay home alone ever again," Amu pleaded.

Midori looked like she was really thinking about letting Amu stay home alone. _Please, please, please, please, please!_

"Did you want someone to watch over Amu?" Ran asked happily as she skipped down the stairs of their house and into the kitchen. _Noooooo! Why is the world against me!?_ "I can always ask Ikuto look after her for a while!"

Tsukiyomi Ikuto was Ran's boyfriend. They'd been going out for about four months or so now. He was really handsome, and Amu had to admit that she maybe, might, have a little teensy-weensy crush on him (despite how much he teases her). Not that she'd ever act on her feelings. Ikuto probably thought she was just a stupid kid anyhow (he _was_ almost four years older than her. He'd turn twenty on December first).

"That's a wonderful idea!" Midori cheered.

_How come no one asked _me_ if this arrangement was okay? _Amu rolled her eyes.

"_No!_" Tsumugu yelled, dashing into the room as tears poured down his face. Jeesh, her dad was so overdramatic. "How could you leave our little sparrow home alone _with a boy_!?"

"Papa, he's Ran's boyfriend so nothing's going to happen," Suu explained with a calm smile as she entered the room. Her long blonde hair curled up at the ends, with a green clover clip in it. She was wearing a short sleeved green dress with white lace on the bottom.

"Exactly!" Ran cheered. "Come on Miki! Ami! Let's go! Go! Go!"

"Ran, don't you need to phone Ikuto?" Midori asked.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Ran laughed and flipped out her cell phone.

"I'm coming," Miki said as she entered the kitchen. Miki was wearing a pair of dark wash jean shorts, a light blue shirt with a black vest, black shoes, and a light blue beret with a navy blue spade over her blue hair. She was carrying an aqua shoulder bag.

"Okay! Ikuto agreed! He'll be here soon!" Ran grinned. "Oh, and no one tell him I'm going out to buy him a birthday present, 'kay?"

"_That's_ why you're going shopping!?" Tsumugu wailed.

"Papa, be good," Midori scolded him. "They're eighteen now – almost nineteen – they're old enough to have boyfriends."

_So they're old enough to have boyfriends, but_ I _can't stay home alone? So not fair._

"Wh-why are _you_ going out Miki?" Tsumugu questioned.

"I have a date with Yoru," Miki mumbled, avoiding everyone's gazes.

"Who's Yoru!?" Tsumugu wailed.

"Ikuto's friend," Miki explained.

Amu had only seen Yoru a couple of times. He was okay, though he reminded Amu of a cat for some reason. He had shaggy purple hair and yellow eyes.

"Miki and Yoru sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"I'll kill you if you finish that song!" Miki threatened, although it was very intimidating while she was blushing. Amu and Miki had that in common; they both blushed until they looked like a couple of tomatoes.

"Miki, play nice," Suu said in her soft voice.

"Oh, Miki, what do you think of my outfit? Is it okay for shopping?" Ran asked. Ran was wearing a light pink mini-dress with magenta flowers stitched into it along the edges. Her dark pink hair was tied up into her usual high side ponytail with an elastic decorated with a red heart.

"It suits you. Nice for shopping," Miki complimented, her anger dying down. She helped all of the sisters with their clothing choices.

"Suu, you're not leaving for a boy as well, are you?" Tsumugu whimpered.

"No, I'm going to a specialty store to check out some foreign foods," Suu chirped. She really did love cooking. Amu didn't love it, but she could cook just fine.

"G'morning!" Ami trilled. She skipped into the room, causing her curly burnt ochre hair to bounce up and down in their pigtails. She was wearing a girly yellow ruffled dress.

"Aww, Ami you look adorable!" Midori squealed and pulled her daughter into a hug.

"Ami, you'll never leave Papa, will you?" Tsumugu sniffled.

"Not until I get a boyfriend and we get married," Ami smiled.

"Even my tiniest sparrow is already thinking of leaving me!" Tsumugu wept.

"Now that we're all ready, we should head out," Midori suggested. "Miki, Yoru's picking you up here, right? So can you watch Amu until Ikuto gets here?"

"Yeah, sure," Miki agreed.

"Okay! Let's go!" Ran yelled. Midori, Tsumugu, Ami, Ran, and Suu headed towards the door. Even though it was November twenty-ninth it was oddly warm today, so no one needed a sweater.

Amu thought it was kind of funny how they were all leaving the house together, but were splitting up as soon as they got through the door. Midori, Tsumugu, and Ami were going to the amusement park in the car; Ran was walking to the mall; and Suu was taking the bus.

"Have fun with your boyf-" Ran started only to have the door slammed in her face by Miki.

"I'm going to go get changed," Amu said.

"I'll help you pick something out," Miki offered and followed her upstairs. "Our house is way too chaotic, isn't it?"

Amu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but could you imagine it any other way?"

"No, I guess not," Miki said.

Amu went to her closet and sifted through her clothing. "Skirt, pants, or shorts?" She wasn't going to wear a dress; it would look like she was trying too hard.

"Hmm... It's still warm enough today, so a skirt would be appropriate and would look really cute," Miki advised.

Amu picked out a white ruffled skirt that came halfway down her thighs, and a sleeveless dark blue button-down shirt with a white collar. "How about this?" she asked.

"Perfect," Miki gave her a thumbs up.

Amu changed into it, then put her bubblegum pink hair up into a side ponytail with a white x clip. For makeup all she did was put on mascara to frame her golden eyes, and swipe some strawberry lip balm on her mouth. For jewellery she put on the necklace Ikuto had given her for her birthday in September. It was a gold lock with four heart shaped clear crystals around the centre with a gold chain. When she put it on, it was mid-chest length. She absolutely loved it, and wore it almost every day.

"Hey Amu, any particular reason you want to look really nice when Ikuto comes by?" Miki questioned.

"I do _not_!" Amu argued. "I just don't want to be in my pyjamas."

"_Sure_ you don't," Miki said sarcastically.

Amu blushed. She was about to say something back, but the doorbell interrupted them.

"Uh, yeah, okay," Amu mumbled and pulled nervously at her skirt.

Miki opened the front door to reveal Yoru standing there. "Um, h-hello Miki," Yoru greeted her, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hi Yoru," Miki whispered as her face turned cherry red. "Bye Amu, see you later."

At least Miki trusted her enough to stay home alone for a couple minutes. "Goodbye Miki!" Amu bid her farewell. She started to close the door, but it was pushed back open.

"Yo," Ikuto said. His dark blue hair was a slightly messy and hung a bit into his indigo eyes. He was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt with grey along the collar, and black jeans with a studded belt.

"Hey Ikuto," Amu said. She had to look up to see his face. He was easily a whole head taller than her.

"Hey kid," He patted her on the head.

Amu swatted his hand away and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "I am _so_ not a kid! And you're messing up my hair."

"Then how come you're _so_ short?" Ikuto smirked, imitating her voice.

"Maybe _you're_ just freakishly tall," Amu retorted. Stupid jerk, making fun of her height. She wasn't even _that_ short. She had to be at least five-foot four. She was over the average height for women in Japan.

"Girls like boys who are taller than them," he revealed.

"Sure, whatever you say," Amu snorted. Actually, she did kind of like that he was tall. Why did he always happen to be right...?

"Can I at least come inside?" Ikuto asked.

"Oh, yeah, right," Amu laughed nervously and stepped aside.

"Good girl," Ikuto grinned and kissed her forehead.

Amu felt her face heat up, and pushed him away immediately. "Get away from me, pervert," she huffed. Ikuto just chuckled. He was always doing things like this. Pervert.

Ikuto made his way into the living room and plopped down onto the couch, lying across the entire thing. "Ah, comfy," he sighed. "Come sit with me."

"No way," Amu objected.

"Please?" He pouted.

She hesitated. It was hard to say no when he put on such a cute face. Amu turned her back to him. "No."

"At least come closer so we can talk properly," Ikuto said. He sat up so that he was sitting properly.

"Well... okay," Amu agreed. She moved in front of him. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I want to tell you a secret, lean in closer," Ikuto whispered.

"Okay..." Amu drawled. She leaned in. Ikuto moved forwards so that his breath tickled her ear. His mouth touched her ear, and then he bit down lightly. She yelped. "Did you just bite my ear!?"

"Did I?" He asked innocently.

"Yes!" Amu yelled furiously.

"No wonder your face's all red," Ikuto commented.

"It's _your_ fault!" she whacked him on the arm.

"So you're blushing because of me?" Ikuto grinned.

"N-no w-way!" Amu shouted.

Ikuto reached out and pulled her down onto his lap. Her face landed squarely in the centre of his chest.

"Hey, l-let go!" she complained.

"Why? You're so cuddly," Ikuto purred. Amu struggled against him, but he was too strong. "You could just give up. It'll be much easier for both of us."

Amu mumbled under her breath, but gave up her struggle. Ikuto pulled her tighter against his chest and buried his head in the top of her head. "You're such a kid," she told him. "Do you act like this with Ran too?"

"...Not... really..." He said slowly.

"Then why me?" Amu demanded.

"I don't know. I guess because you look so adorable when you blush," Ikuto smirked.

"Stop teasing me!" she frowned. She hated blushing – it was so embarrassing – and he caused her to blush _all the time_ with his stupid teasing.

"Maybe, we'll see," Ikuto said. He let go of her and she scrambled to the other side of the couch.

"Stupid pervert," Amu stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh Amu, you and your cute pet names for me," Ikuto said.

"Shut up!" she snapped.

"Love you too," Ikuto cooed.

Amu felt her heart skip a beat. Even though he hadn't really meant that he loved her it still made her feel incredibly happy. "I.. u-um, and, y-yeah," Amu stuttered nonsensically.

"Are you... okay?" Ikuto raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, sure, um... Hey, Ikuto, are you coming by here for your birthday?" Amu asked the first thing that came to mind. She'd bought him a present for his birthday (he did buy one for _her_, and she should at least return the favour, right?), and wanted to know if she could give it to him on his actually birthday.

"Uh..." Ikuto hesitated. "Probably not."

"How come?" Amu asked. That was a little disappointing. She had really hoped that she could give it to him on his actual birthday.

"Actually, I was meaning to mention that I was kind of... going to break up with your sister," Ikuto said hesitantly.

"You were _kind of_ going to break up with her?" Amu deadpanned.

"Or, y'know, completely," he laughed nervously. "Whichever. Are you mad?"

"No, not really," she answered. She wasn't mad at him at all. She was kind of happy. That was a terrible way to feel, and she knew it, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling it.

"Really? I mean, I _am_ breaking up with your _sister_," Ikuto said.

"You can't help it if you don't love someone," Amu responded.

"So after today I guess we won't be seeing each other very often," Ikuto turned his head away as he said it.

"W-why? I thought... that we were... friends," Amu whispered sadly. How could she not see Ikuto again? She'd never considered the possibility of him leaving her life before. He was always just _there_.

"Amu..." Ikuto frowned. "Don't be sad. We can still see each other if you want. I just didn't really think you cared."

"Why would you think _that_?" Amu asked incredulously.

"Well, you're always hitting me and calling me a pervert," Ikuto pointed out.

"Oh, sorry..." she apologized.

"I'll forgive you for a kiss," Ikuto smirked.

"N-no way! Pervert!" Amu screeched. _Oh, woops, I did it again..._

"See? I told you you're still a kid," Ikuto gave her another pat on the head. He stood up and stretched his arms out over his head.

"I am _not_!" Amu jumped up from her seat.

"Oh yeah? Prove it," he challenged her.

"Prove it? How do I prove it?" Amu wondered.

"I don't know. That's your task, not mine," Ikuto laughed.

"I can cook!" Amu tried. "And clean!"

"Kids can do that too. My sister started to help my mom with her cooking when she was ten," Ikuto said.

"I don't know what else to do!" she whined.

"Well, you could..." his sentence trailed off.

"What? I could _what_?" Amu asked excitedly. She'd prove that she wasn't just some kid. Maybe then she'd have a chance- She cut off her thoughts. _Then you'd have a chance to do _what_ Amu? Be his next girlfriend? He's dating your _sister_ for crying out loud!_ But still... there's no harm in showing him that she's grown up, is there?

He walked towards her and came close enough to make her stumble backwards. He continued until her back bumped against the wall. Amu swallowed nervously as he brought his face closer to hers. He seized her hands and held them above her head with one hand while he used the other to hold her face in place. His piercing blue eyes stared into hers, and she knew she was blushing.

"W-what are you doing?" Amu whispered. Her knees felt weak, and she must've been shaking. _His face is so close..._

"What do you _think_ I'm doing?" Ikuto grinned. He moved closer.

_Is he going to kiss me...? _The thought was altogether embarrassing, appalling, and – worst of all – intriguing. She _wanted_ him to kiss her? How could she!? He was her sister's boyfriend! Soon to be ex-boyfriend... But still! Amu was a _horrible_ sister. Ikuto was off-limits, forbidden. She couldn't have him.

Then, all of a sudden, he tilted her head to the side and kissed her cheek.

"W-wha...?" she breathed.

"You didn't think I was really going to kiss you, did you? Who's the pervert now, kid?" Ikuto laughed.

Amu felt anger surge through her. Stupid pervert! How could he play with her feelings like that? Oh right, he doesn't know she has feelings for him... It's still rude though.

"_I'm not a kid!_" Amu grabbed Ikuto's shirt and shoved him against the wall. She pulled his head down and pressed her mouth against his for a good five seconds before pulling back. "See? I'm _not_ a kid!"

Ikuto just stared at her with his mouth slightly open. Realization of what she just did finally dawned on her and she whirled around so that he couldn't see her blush. Her face felt like it was on fire.

_Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god._ _What did I _do_!?_ _I'm such a horrible sister! No, a horrible person in general. How could I do this to Ran!? I screwed everything up!_

A long silence stretched out as the two of them stood there.

"Um, Amu?" Ikuto broke the silence.

"Y-yes?" she squeaked. _Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap. _He was going to say something now. This was just awful.

"Why'd you kiss me?" he questioned.

Why!? Couldn't he have asked _any_ question other than _that_? "Because you told me to," Amu said, but it sounded more like a question. Complete lie. She didn't know why she did it. It was just a weird impulse she'd had.

"You'd never kiss me just because I told you to, so seriously, why?" Ikuto pressed.

Amu didn't answer. She was completely freaking out, though she wasn't sure whether she was going to pass out, hyperventilate, throw up, or just blurt out everything.

"Amu, do you like me?" He asked. Maybe there was a worse question than "why'd you kiss me?" after all... There was no way Amu was going to respond to that question.

"Of course not, of course you don't. You're too good of a sister, too good of a person to do something like that," he said with a bit of sadness tingeing his voice.

"No I'm not, I'm a terrible person," she muttered.

Ikuto didn't seem to hear her and continued on talking. "I'm such a bad boyfriend," he growled. Amu turned around to see him bang his forehead on the wall.

"Why?" Amu questioned curiously. He seemed like a fine boyfriend to her.

"Because I'm in love with you," He answered.

"D-don't s-say th-that i-i-if you d-don't m-m-m-mean i-it," Amu stuttered. She sounded like she had a speech impediment or something.

"I'm serious," Ikuto moved away from the wall to look at her. He cradled her face in his hands. "I love you, Hinamori Amu." Then he smiled at her. And she almost gawked. She has never – in the entire time she's know him – seen him smile. Grin or smirk yes, but not just an honest smile. He looked so cute that she was fan-girl screaming in her head and, of course, blushing.

He moved one hand behind her head and bent down to kiss her. _His lips are so soft..._ Her thoughts had been so preoccupied before that she hadn't really taken the time to enjoy the last kiss. Amu wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back.

"Mm, strawberry," Ikuto commented as he pulled away, and licked his lips devilishly. He was going to pull her into a hug, but Amu stuck her hand out to stop him. He looked a bit confused.

"I can't..." she whispered. "I really, _really_ like you Ikuto, but I don't think I can do this to Ran. It's not fair to her."

"After we break up?" Ikuto asked.

"I... don't know. Maybe. I'll ask Ran, but if she even has a tiny problem I don't think I could do it," Amu said. She had gotten her most private and sought-after desire fulfilled, and yet all she wanted to do was go bury her head in a pillow and cry.

"Okay. You really are an amazing sister," Ikuto told her, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He back up a couple steps. "I guess I should go, right?" He sounded so sad it almost broke her heart.

"Um, actually, you can't. My parents will be really mad if they come back and I'm alone," Amu said awkwardly.

"Right, of course," he agreed casually, but Amu knew him a bit too well for that to work. He was sad, and trying to cover it up. "You want to watch television or something?"

"Yeah," Amu sighed in relief. Television would give them something to focus on other than each other. She stepped forwards only to trip – on _nothing_. Curse her clumsiness! She fell down onto the older boy, knocking them both to the floor.

"I'm okay. You okay?" Ikuto asked.

"I'm fine," Amu confirmed.

"Well, then..." Ikuto flipped them over so that he was over top of her. His body pressed dangerously close against hers.

"Ikuto," Amu said in a warning tone as her face heated up.

"Sorry, I'm a guy, I have to take advantage of these situations," he smirked.

Amu heard the front door and open and close with a loud slam. She froze in place, and Ikuto looked like he had as well.

"Amu, I figured out the perfect-"

Amu would know that overly perky voice anywhere. It was Ran. _Crap._

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**Sorry to end it like that! :P lol! The next part should be out soon anyways.**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! Please review! ^-^  
3 Happily-random!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't really have any comments, so on with the story! ^-^**

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"Amu, I figured out the perfect-"

Amu would know that overly perky voice anywhere. It was Ran. _Crap._

"It's not what it looks like!" she yelled. "Ikuto, get off!"

"I can't, I think my belt's caught on your shirt," Ikuto said after a bit of struggling.

"Then take it off!" she hissed.

"I can't. I'm already using my hands to hold myself up so that I don't crush you," Ikuto said. "Why don't _you_ just untangle it from your shirt?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, okay," Amu agreed. She reached down to his belt.

"What are you _doing_?" Ran gaped at them.

Amu realized that it probably looked like she was touching him. _Ahhh!!!! _No way would she ever do that! "What!? _No!_ I fell over, and now his belt's caught on my shirt," Amu explained in a rush. "Ah, I got it."

Ikuto stood up and offered Amu a hand. She took it and he helped her to her feet.

"Did you two get together?" Ran asked.

"N-no w-way! A-absolutely n-n-not!" Amu protested as she blushed. Ikuto just stood there.

"You're such a bad liar Amu. Sheesh!" Ran laughed. Why was she laughing!? What could be _funny _about this situation? "_Finally_ you guys! I've been waiting _forever_."

"What?" Amu wondered what in the world she was talking about.

"I was beginning to question whether you two actually liked each other," Ran continued. "You're both so _slow_! I was about to put my secret plan into action. Too bad I don't get to use it now... Ooh! Ooh! I'll do it now!"

"Ikuto! I have your birthday present, so I'm going to give it to you early!" Ran cheered. She grabbed Amu and shoved her into Ikuto's chest with a big smile on her face. Amu let out a surprised squeak.

"R-ran, w-what are you d-doing?" Amu questioned.

"You're my present to Ikuto! Oh right, I should explain! It was all a set-up," Ran giggled. "I went out with Ikuto because I thought you liked him. You were always too shy to talk to boys. So, if I dated Ikuto, you two would be spending some time together, and I figured if you two got to know each other you might fall in love!"

"What the _hell_!" Amu shouted. "I felt like a horrible person for wanting to be with Ikuto, and the whole time you _didn't even like him_!?"

"Sorry," Ran apologized. "But, aren't you happy now? You two can be together!"

"Very," Ikuto concurred. He tilted Amu's head up and gave her a quick kiss.

"Not in front of my sister!" Amu pounded a fist on his chest.

"I'm so lucky," Ikuto cooed sardonically and hugged her tight to his body.

"Ran, can I ask you one thing?"

"Sure!" She chirped.

"Why did you think I liked Ikuto?" Amu asked.

"Well, he was on top of you just a second ago and you were blushing like crazy-"

"No!" Amu huffed. "I meant, before you started dating him."

"Oh..." Ran paused as if in thought. Yeah, right. That'll be the day, when Ran thinks things through before blurting them out. "Don't you remember the first day you saw him? We were out at the mall boy watching-"

"_I _was not boy watching! _You_ were the one who dragged me along on your insane quest to find a – quote, unquote – 'soul mate,'" Amu grumbled.

Ran ignored Amu and continued on talking. "-and then you pointed somewhere and said 'How about him?', therefore openly admitting that you though he was cute," Ran explained. She had weird logic. Ikuto grinned down at Amu after hearing that she thought he was cute. Amu ignored him.

Truthfully, on that day she hadn't been paying attention at all. She just pointed in some random direction to try and distract Ran. "Even though you thought he was cute, you still wouldn't go over and talk to him!" Ran scolded her. "All you did was gaze longingly at Ikuto."

"I-I did _not_!" Amu protested. This was embarrassing. Plus Ran kept exaggerating the story. She wished she hadn't bothered to ask.

"So the plan popped into my mind at that moment, and I knew I had to go through with it," Ran nodded to herself. That was so like Ran to just jump right into something without a second thought. "And now I'll leave you guys alone and head up to my room." She jumped out of the room.

"Now what should we do now that we're _all alone_?" Ikuto purred.

"I want to ask you something too," Amu said.

Ikuto pouted, "That's no fun. Can I unwrap my present instead?"

"Y-you m-mean _m-me_!?" Amu gawked. "No way! Pervert!" She punched him lightly on the arm. "Now be serious, why did you agree to go out with Ran?"

"Well, I guess you could say girls are like my weakness. I have trouble saying no," Ikuto mumbled.

Amu laughed, "Tsukiyomi Ikuto's afraid of girls?"

"I'm not _afraid _of them! But you girls get so emotional and tend to cry a lot – especially when guys are involved. I hate when girls cry. It makes me uncomfortable," he admitted. "I may seem really cold, but I hate making girls cry."

_Aww, that's so adorable!_ She'd never voice that thought out loud however. "People think you're cold?" Amu wondered.

Ikuto gave her a disbelieving look. "The first time I saw you I _glared_ at you, remember?" _Oh, right._ She'd forgotten about that. "And haven't you ever wondered why Yoru's my only friend?"

"Huh. I guess I never thought about it before," Amu laughed.

"I could never say no to your sister," Ikuto divulged. "And then, somehow, we were boyfriend and girlfriend. She's a lot to handle."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Amu snorted.

"Then it got hard to break up with her because... I wanted to see _you_," Ikuto said.

"That's both sweet and selfish," Amu raised an eyebrow at him.

"I was kind of hoping you'd lean more towards the sweet side rather than the selfish side," he smiled playfully.

"It's a little more sweet than selfish," Amu smiled back. "And you know what's funny? We all did terrible things, yet we're still all so happy." She laughed.

"I guess so. But none of it really matters anymore, right?" Ikuto queried.

"Right!"

"So now can we have some fun?" he smirked. Amu felt herself blush. She was about to protest when Ikuto gently pushed her backwards until the back of her legs collided with the couch and she fell down onto it. He sat down on his knees, with a leg on each side of hers.

Amu's face turned cherry red. This was such an embarrassing position to be in! She wanted to push him away, but at the same time she also wanted to pull him closer and have him kiss her. As a compromise, she did nothing – except blush.

He leaned in to kiss her, only to be interrupted by high-pitched voice yelling, "What are you doing to Onee-chan?"

Amu and Ikuto both turned their heads to the left to see Amu's little sister Ami standing there in front of her parents – all of whom looked like their eyes might explode from their heads.

_Why do I keep getting caught in weird positions...?_

"H-hey... mom... d-dad... Ami..." Amu dithered.

"My little sparrow!" Tsumugu cried.

"Tsukiyomi-san, would you kindly get off my daughter, who, I know for a fact, is _not_ your girlfriend?" Midori said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, crap," Ikuto muttered as he stood up. Amu stood up with him. She'd forgotten about her parents. Obviously they weren't taking it well so far. Well, that's probably to be expected when you walk in a room and find a boy on top of your daughter.

"What's going on here?" Midori raised an eyebrow accusingly and crossed her arms over her chest.

"M-mama, I can explain..." Amu started. "You see, Ran was dating Ikuto because she was trying to set him up with _me._"

"And Ran knows about you two being together?" Midori asked.

"Y-yes, of course!" Amu nodded so quickly that she felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. "She's upstairs right now, you can even ask her."

"Alright," Midori sighed. "I hope you two are happy together. And now that we've heard about this, I expect you stay for dinner tonight Tsukiyomi-san."

Amu's mom was taking it pretty well, even though you could tell she was still a bit angry. Her dad, however, was bawling his eyes out and kept blubbering, "My second youngest sparrow already has a boyfriend, who's going to take her away from the nest." Ami had left a while ago to go upstairs.

"I'm going to go see Ran. Would you try to calm down your father?" Midori shook her head in amusement then made her way upstairs.

"Um, Papa, it's okay," Amu tried. "I know you think I'm 'leaving the nest' but I'm not. I mean, Ikuto isn't taking me anywhere."

"B-but you're going to get married and leave!" Tsumugu wailed.

"M-married!? Who said anything about marriage?" Amu exclaimed. Was her dad insane or something? "I'm only sixteen! I'm not getting married to anyone!"

"Well, not _yet_ anyways," Ikuto commented. Tsumugu burst out crying again. Amu gave Ikuto a glare.

"You're _so_ not helpful," Amu growled.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Papa, no matter what happens I'll always be your little sparrow, okay?" Amu said.

Tsumugu wiped his eyes and nodded. "I'm going to go to the bathroom," he said.

"Okay- wait! No!" Amu yelled. She bolted after her father, but her father had started to run as well. Tsumugu made it into the bathroom a second before Amu could stop him. She tried the door handle, but it was locked.

"Papa! You can't lock yourself in there again!" Amu pounded on the door. Her dad didn't respond.

"What just happened?" Ikuto questioned as he found his way over to her.

"Whenever my dad gets really upset he locks himself in the bathroom and doesn't come out," Amu explained glumly.

At that point Midori came back downstairs asking where Amu's father was. "He's locked himself in the bathroom again," Amu told her.

"Oh well. Leave him there for a little bit to cool down," Midori said. "Amu, would you help me make dinner? Ikuto, feel free to make yourself at home."

_Uh-oh._ Her mom only ever asked Amu to help her with dinner when she had something she wanted to discuss. "Sure mama," Amu agreed.

Ikuto thanked her and sat down on a couch in the living room. Midori led Amu into the kitchen.

"Amu, would you fill up the rice cooker?" Midori requested.

"Of course," Amu answered. She filled up the inner bowl to the graduated mark, added the rice, and then switched it on. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Well, today we're having miso soup, rice, and croquettes. You can do the miso soup," Midori offered.

Amu nodded. She went to the fridge and took out dashi soup stock, a block of tofu, miso paste, and green onions. She put the soup stock in a pan and turned the heat on. While she waited for it to boil she began to cut up the tofu and green onions.

"Ikuto is a lot older than you," Midori remarked.

"It's only four year's difference," Amu whispered.

"Four years is a big difference at your age. If you were the one who was older you'd be dating a twelve year old," Midori started. "Ikuto is almost an adult. He's turning twenty in two days."

"I know, but that doesn't matter to me! And it doesn't matter to him either," Amu frowned.

"I'm sure it doesn't now, but it might later on. He's older than you, he might want different things," Midori said.

Amu blushed. She couldn't believe her mother was talking about something like this. It was so incredibly embarrassing!

"I'm not going to tell you that you can't see him," Midori continued, "but don't be pressured into anything. You don't _need_ to do anything. If you want to however, remember-"

"M-mom!" Amu screeched. "I-I know a-all of th-that a-already!"

"You've never had a boyfriend before or gone out with anyone, I need to make sure you're ready for all of this," Midori explained.

"I do! I-I know! I'm good!" Amu squeaked. _Please stop talking!_

"Okay, if you're sure. If you have any questions you can always ask me," Midori smiled.

_Not likely!_ "Okay mama," Amu said, and turned her focus back to making her miso soup. She hoped her mother would never _ever_ bring that topic back up. _How embarrassing..._

Amu sat at the dining table stirring her soup just to have something to do. It was completely silent, which was odd considering there were nine of them, and one of them was Ran. She really wished someone would speak soon.

"Suu, did you find anything good at the grocery store?" Miki asked.

Amu mentally thanked her sister for breaking the silence as she shot her a grateful glance.

"I found some tropical fruits that I thought looked really good. I got some mango, passion fruit, and granadilla," Suu answered. "There was a lot of interesting stuff, but I only bought those fruits. It was a bit expensive."

Suu had come home halfway through the preparation of dinner, and Miki had come back right as they were sitting down at the table. Miki hadn't mentioned her date, but Amu was sure that she'd had a good time as the girl had come through the door with a big smile on her face. Their mom was also able to persuade Tsumugu to come out of the bathroom and eat dinner.

Ikuto knocked his foot against Amu's underneath the table and gave her a secretive half-smile. She blushed lightly and smiled back, but frowned when he ran his foot up her leg. She kicked him in response, although it didn't seem to hurt him as all he did was cover up a laugh by eating a spoonful of miso soup.

"_Miki_," Ran sang. "How was your date with Yoru?"

"It was fine," Miki said. Obviously she wasn't going to give any details with their father around. Amu planned to ask her about it later. They could exchange boy stories (not that Amu really had many; only this day with Ikuto.)

"Amu -chan! Is Ikuto-nii _your_ boyfriend now? I thought he was dating Ran-chan, but you two were in the living room together, and now he keeps smiling at you. I've never seen Ikuto-nii smile before," Ami rambled.

"I... u-um, yes," Amu whispered. She was really surprised her dad hadn't said anything yet, what with all the talk about boys. Tsumugu was just staring down at his plate.

Ran saved Amu the trouble of answering any more of Ami's questions by saying, "Today I met this guy that I like, so I'm going to go out on a date with him tomorrow."

"My sparrows are all growing up and leaving the nest!" Tsumugu wailed dramatically.

_Is this what my life is going to be like from this moment on? _Amu asked herself._ Yeah, probably._

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**Well, that's the end of this little story. ^-^ I was thinking that I might write a bonus chapter though, a chapter that's like a prequel to this story when Amu and Ikuto first meet. Would anyone want to read it...? If so, I'll make one.**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! Please review! ^-^  
3 Happily-random!**


	3. Prequel Bonus Chapter

**So, yes, this is the prequel to this story. It seems kind of short to me (like not a lot happens). Lol. Even though it's 9 pages. :P Oh, well. Hope you enjoy it NEways!**

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Part 1: Boy-Watching is a Tough Sport

"Amu-chaaaan," someone yelled right into the girl's ear.

"Ow," Amu groaned. Boy is her older sister Ran loud. "What?"

"You have to come boy-watching with me today!" Ran explained. As per usual the girl's dark pink hair was tied up into a high ponytail with a red heart clip, and her pink eyes sparkled happily. She was dressed in a light pink miniskirt, a pink visor, a white baby doll t-shirt, and hot pink converse. Cute and a bit sporty, that was Ran's style.

"Boy-watching? Are you kidding me? You woke me up because you want me to go _boy-watching_ with you?" Amu asked irritably.

"Yup!" Ran answered cheerfully, as if she were doing Amu a favour or something by letting her come.

"_Why_?"

"I want a boyfriend. And you know, you should look for some guys too. You've never gone out with anyone before," Ran nodded all knowingly.

_Well I'm _sorry_ that I get shy and end up projecting a "cool-and-spicy" personality._ It wasn't like she could control it, it always just came out. She tended to scare off most people. She still had some good friends though who saw her truth self, and those people meant the world to her.

"Ran, I don't need a boyfriend. But, if you give me half an hour to get ready I'll come with you, okay?" Amu sighed. Ran was going to get her way eventually, so she might as well give in sooner rather than later and avoid wasting time.

"Okay Amu-chan!" Ran smiled.

After Ran left Amu showered and dressed into a pair of dark wash jean shorts, a greyish-blue striped tank top, and a black vest with gold detailing. She left her rose pink shoulder-length hair down. She grabbed her purse and stuffed her cell phone, some gum, a tiny brush, lip balm, and book inside.

Amu made her way downstairs to meet Ran. Ran, Miki, and Suu – her older siblings who were also triplets – were all planted down in front of the television in the living room.

"Good morning Amu-chan," Miki greeted her when her blue eyes met with Amu's gold ones.

"Morning!" Amu said to everyone. "Where are mom, dad, and Ami?"

"Mom and Dad took Ami to the park," Suu explained.

Ami was the youngest sister, just having turned ten on May twelfth. Ran, Miki, and Suu were the oldest at the age of eighteen. And Amu was fifteen and stuck in the middle (but she'd turn sixteen on September twenty-fourth).

"Oh, okay. Are you two coming boy-watching as well?" Amu asked.

"No, I'm going to clean the house today," Suu said. Suu was pretty much like a second mother. She liked to cook and clean – and was incredibly good at it to – and was nice to positively everyone. She did have a bit of dreamy side as well.

"And I... I, uh, wanted to do some drawing," Miki said, sending a look to Amu that said 'I just really didn't want to go'. Lucky, lucky, Miki and Suu. Amu was going to be dragged around all day by the overly energetic Ran, while they got to stay at home.

"Well, have fun guys," Amu said as her and Ran left the house. "Where are we going anyways?"

"To the mall!" Ran decided. "That way even if we can't find good boys we can look at the hot boys they hire in clothing stores."

Like Amu would ever do that. Although she had to admit, some of them _were_ pretty cute. Not that she'd ever try to talk to them. How awkward would _that_ be?

"So are we taking a bus there?"

"Nope! We're walking!" Ran cheered. "Let's _go_!" Ran grabbed Amu's arm and stared to run at full speed, dragging Amu behind her.

_Someone shoot me. Right now._

"How about that one?"

"Yeah, sure, he's cute," Amu answered automatically. They had been here for over two hours already, just moving around from place to place and scouting out guys. Right now they were in the food court sitting down at one of the tables.

"Amu? Are you even paying attention?" Ran questioned.

"Yeah, sure, of course," Amu said. She wasn't paying attention. She was reading the book that she had put in her purse before she left the house. Sitting down and staring at boys for hours wasn't exactly Amu's idea of fun.

"Okay, then point out someone who you think is cute," Ran challenged her.

"Um, how about him?" Amu pointed in a random direction without glancing up from her book. Ran would pick out a cute boy from that direction and assume that was the one she had pointed to.

"You're right! He's _hot_!" Ran squealed in delight.

Amu glanced up to see who she was looking at. Her eyes widened at the sight of a guy leaning against a wall eating French fries. Ran was right, he _was_ hot. His hair was a dark blue and hung messily around his head and a bit into his eyes, which were a bright indigo. He was lean yet muscular – the perfect body for guys in Amu's opinion. The guy was dressed in black jeans, a zipped up black sweater, and a white t-shirt.

"Amu, your mouth is hanging open," Ran commented with a laugh.

"I-it is not!" Amu protested while still staring at the guy. It was hard to look away.

"You should go talk to him!" Ran suggested.

How can Ran be so confident about everything? There was no way Amu was going to go up to him. "No way," Amu said.

The guy she was staring at looked up from the floor and their eyes locked. He glared at her, and she blinked in surprise. Why would he glare at her? Amu looked away, but could still feel his glare piercing into her.

"If you won't go, then I'll go talk to him!" Ran decided. She stood up and stretched.

"Ran, I don't think that's..." Amu started, but Ran had already started to walk away. "A good idea." The guy had glared at her, he was probably a jerk.

Amu watched her sister make her way over to the guy. His eyes widened in surprise when Ran started to talk to him, but he didn't glare at _her_. He eyed her suspiciously, but it looked as if he was talking to her. Ran was gesturing like crazy, and even jumped up into the air at one point. She was a real handful. Amu almost felt sorry for the guy. Almost. His eyes met Amu's and it looked as if he were asking for help. Amu stuck her tongue out at him and turned away with a huff. He wasn't getting any help from her after that glare.

Amu managed not to peek over her shoulder at them until Ran came back. "So, how'd it go?" she asked.

"Great! We have a date later today!" Ran enthused.

A date? She was going on a date with that jerk!? "That's nice," Amu managed a smile. How could she put a damper on her sister's spirit by voicing her outrage? She couldn't. She was a little surprised that the boy had actually agreed. Ran was pretty, but was obviously over-hyper.

"He said his name's Ikuto. Nice name, huh?" Ran smiled at her.

"Sure," Amu replied uncertainly. She had a weird feeling about all this. Ran's smile was a bit weird, as if she knew something Amu didn't. Guess she'd just have to see how all of this turned out.

The doorbell rang and Amu – at her mother's request – went to go answer it. She opened the door to see the guy from the mall standing there. He was wearing the _exact_ same outfit as before. Shouldn't he dress up a little for a date?

"Hi, I'm-"

Amu slammed the door shut. She could see him glaring at her from the window in the door.

"Amu-chan, who was that?" Midori (her mother) asked from the kitchen.

"No one," Amu responded. "Wrong house number."

Ikuto's frown deepened. The door probably wasn't very soundproof. Amu stuck her tongue out at him. He knocked on the door and Amu opened it again.

"Can I help you?" she snapped.

"I'm here to pick up your sister, okay?" Ikuto said in an irritated tone.

"Well, _Ikuto_," Amu said, emphasising the fact that she wasn't going to use an honorific with his name (although he didn't seem to be that phased by it). "Ran doesn't really want to see you."

"Amu-chan, is that Ikuto?" Ran yelled. "I'm coming down!"

"Oh, so she doesn't want to see me, _Amu_?" Ikuto smirked.

Amu scowled at him. "Who said you could address me by my first name?"

"Who said you could address me by _my_ first name?" Ikuto asked.

"Hi Ikuto-kun!" Ran smiled as she came into the room.

Amu plastered a smile on her face. "Hi Ran! Ikuto and I were just chatting," she said.

"That's nice! I hope you two can become friends," Ran enthused.

_Yeah, right. _"Yeah, I hope so too," Amu agreed.

Ikuto leaned towards her to whisper into her ear, "You do?"

"Of course not, idiot. If you two are going to go out I want her to be completely happy. I don't want her to worry about us not liking each other," Amu whispered back.

"So, where are you two going?" Amu asked.

"Uh..." Ikuto hesitated. He clearly hadn't put any effort into planning this date. Amu sent him a fierce look when Ran wasn't paying attention.

"Let's go to the amusement park!" Ran cheered.

"Yeah, okay," he consented. "And... you look, um... good."

Amu almost laughed out loud he sounded – and looked – so uncomfortable. Ran however, ate it all up.

"Thanks!" Ran gushed. "I'm going to go tell Mama and Papa I'm leaving." She jogged out of the room, leaving Amu and Ikuto alone again.

"Wow, could you _be_ more awkward?" Amu snickered.

Ikuto glowered at her comment. "Well, what was I _supposed_ to say?"

Amu snorted, "When you go on a date with a girl you're supposed to tell her she looks pretty, beautiful, or at the very least, amazing."

"And how would _you_ know, kid?" Ikuto asked, with a smug look on his face.

"_I'm not a kid_! I'm fifteen, turning sixteen," Amu grumbled. She hated when people called her a kid or a child. She only had two years of high school left until she went off to University. She was practically an adult!

"I'm nineteen, turning twenty," Ikuto said.

"Well whoop-dee-doo for you," Amu frowned.

"Why are you so hostile?" he demanded.

"Why are you so-"

"Okay, Mama, and Papa said I could!" Ran grinned as she came back. "Well actually, Papa cried, and then Mama said I could go." She laughed.

"Ha ha ha!" Amu laughed nervously, hoping Ran didn't hear their argument.

"What's so funny?" Ran asked.

"Ikuto was, uh... just telling me a joke," Amu said. "You're so funny Ikuto!"

Ikuto looked at her in confusion. "What are you talk-"

Amu grabbed both Ran and Ikuto and pushed them outside. "You two should get going," Amu told them. "Have fun!" She slammed the door closed after them. Thank god that was over. She hoped she'd never have to see that jerk again.

Part 2: Maybe We Could Be Friends

Amu ran up and down the streets, calling out her little sister's name. "Ami! Ami!" she yelled. Curse her little sister for getting herself lost while out on a walk with her parents. Amu and the rest of her family had been searching for over an hour, but no one had found Ami yet.

Amu was searching the downtown area and the streets surrounding it. The lampposts shone light brightly down on top of Amu and the others on the street. The lights combined with the moon overhead cast several odd, long shadows on the ground.

Amu stopped running and leaned against the wall of a shop. She was extremely tired and had to pant to catch her breath. Her phone rang. Amu looked at the call display; it was Ran. Amu flicked her phone open to talk.

"Ran! Have you found Ami?" Amu asked.

"Ouch! Amu, you don't have to yell!" Ran scolded her.

Amu rolled her eyes. Their little sister was missing and Ran was worried about how loud she was talking? That was typical Ran for you.

"But yeah, I found her. She walked all the way back to house and fell asleep on the stairs. I'm phoning everyone to tell them, so you can come straight home now."

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit," Amu said and she hung up.

Amu sighed. She ran all the way downtown for nothing. Oh well, at least her sister was okay. She began the long walk back to her house.

Suddenly Amu heard a soft groan. She backed slowly up and looked down the alleyway she had just passed. There, on the floor, was a guy bent over, most likely in pain. A passing car illuminated the alleyway, and Amu discovered that the man on the floor was none other than Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

Ikuto and Amu's sister Ran had been dating for about 2 weeks now and had officially become boyfriend and girlfriend. He and Amu still didn't get along however. She always tried her best to avoid him whenever he came over.

Right now it was very tempting to just walk past the alley and leave him, but Amu couldn't do something that cruel. She sighed and made her way towards him.

"Hey, Ikuto," Amu called.

He looked up, but when his gaze met hers he just looked away.

She dropped to her knees in front of him. "Ikuto, are you okay?" she asked. He didn't say anything so she grabbed his chin and tilted his face towards her. He had a bruise on his cheek, the makings of a black eye, and his lip was split open. The alley had gone dark again, and she couldn't tell if he had any other injuries. She took a Kleenex out of her pocket and dabbed at the blood on his lip.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

"Well I'm _trying_ to help, but it's hard to do so when you talk," Amu said.

"Why would you help me? You hate me," said Ikuto.

Amu looked at him in surprise. "You think that I would leave you here just because we don't get along very well!?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"I wouldn't do that. Stupid. So are you hurt anywhere else?" she asked. Although she didn't seem like it, Amu was quite worried for Ikuto. His face was pale and he didn't seem to have much energy.

Ikuto took his hand off of the side of his stomach where blood was beginning to seep through his shirt. Amu used her hands to put pressure on the wound, slowing down blood flow to the area.

"Ikuto!" Amu gasped. "What happened?"

"Tried to steal my wallet," he answered through gritted teeth. Clearly the wound hurt quite a bit.

"And you tried to take it back right? That is such a _stupid_ thing to do!" Amu scolded him. "Did you at least get your wallet back?"

"Hell yeah."

Amu let out a tiny laugh and Ikuto gave her a cocky grin.

"How much does it hurt? Can you stand so I can help you get to the hospital?" Amu asked.

"No hospitals!" Ikuto protested.

"Then where am I supposed to take you? Can I take you to your house?" asked Amu.

"My house," Ikuto murmured.

Amu nodded. She put her arm around his waist and helped him stand up. He grunted in pain.

"Use one hand to keep pressure on the wound, okay? And put your other arm around my shoulder so you'll be able to walk more easily," she instructed. He did what she was told without complaining.

After a _lot_ of walking (and complaining about how heavy Ikuto was from Amu) they finally reached Ikuto's house. It was a medium-size modern-looking building. Ikuto passed Amu his keys and she unlocked the door for them.

When they entered the house Amu noticed a room that contained a couch to her right. She sat Ikuto down on the couch.

"Do you have any bandages, antiseptic, and ice?" Amu asked.

"Kitchen's that way." Ikuto pointed to the left, through an arch into the kitchen. "Ice in the freezer, other stuff should be on the top shelf of the pantry."

Amu ran into the kitchen and grabbed everything she needed. Amu gave Ikuto the ice pack and he held it on his face.

She stood there awkwardly for a second before saying, "Um... you need to t-t-take off y-your sh-shirt." Amu blushed. This was really embarrassing. She didn't want to see Ikuto without a shirt on!

"I'm in pain," said Ikuto. "You do it." When Amu's mouth dropped open and she blushed harder Ikuto gave her a small smirk.

"I-I'm not-!"

"Just unbutton my shirt," he told her. When Amu didn't move he continued, "Please? It actually hurts to move."

"Okay, fine," she muttered. Amu's hands were shaking as she undid the buttons of his shirt, starting from the top. She pushed his shirt away from his stomach and her hand brushed against hard muscle. She quickly withdrew her hand with a small gasp. Basically no guys in her grade had muscles like this (or any at all). It was kind of hot. Amu blushed even more. She couldn't believe she actually thought that. Luckily Ikuto didn't seem to be paying attention to what Amu was doing and his eyes were closed.

She took a piece of cloth and poured some of the disinfectant onto it. She dabbed gently at his wound, yet it still caused Ikuto to wince.

"Sorry," Amu apologized. Ikuto nodded.

After disinfecting the wound she found that it wasn't too deep, but it might still leave a scar. She placed the cotton down over the cut followed by the pad and then taped it in place.

"Okay, I'm done," said Amu.

Ikuto opened his eyes and looked at her. "Thanks." The bruises on his face were starting get darker now.

Amu stood up. "I guess I should get going now," she murmured. "My family must be wondering where I am." She walked towards the front door.

"Wait, Amu. Maybe we could be... friends?"

Amu smiled, though Ikuto couldn't see it. "Yeah, I guess so," she answered.

"See you later, Amu," said Ikuto.

"Goodbye, Ikuto."

Neither of them knew it yet, but this was the start of a great relationship.

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**That's it! And now this story is officially over and done with! :)**

**Please review!!!**


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